Run Katie Run -- Part Two: The Race
Mile 16 -- First Avenue just off of the Queensboro Bridge
By Susannah Geary
Katie McGrath is back to her busy nursing schedule after a weekend of achieving goals and major accomplishments. Katie ran and finished the New York City Marathon with an impressive finish time of 05:03:54. We sat down with Katie again to talk about the post marathon life.
Now that Katie’s back in the swing of things she’s trying to find some time to reflect on her weekend in New York. “It feels great to home and know that I accomplished my goal. Since the marathon is over I am thinking, ‘what now?’ The marathon was such excitement for me with planning, training, and fundraising and now I need something else to look forward to! But I have to reflect more on what I want to go after next!”
While Katie is basking in the surreal accomplishment of finishing the New York City Marathon she remembers some moments from her race that surprised her. The encouragement from the spectators was really something you have to experience for yourself. “I had heard about how great the spectators are throughout the course. They call it the, ‘world’s biggest block party’. It’s not easy to run 26.2 miles, it takes a toll on your body and mind but the crowds really carried me through.”
Runners change up their speeds as the miles go on and on, but Katie was inspired by the spectators. “When I hit Central Park I got a boost of adrenaline. I was running at about a 9 minute pace. Most people were slowing down or walking but I was really so pumped with the crowds cheering for me.” She felt the community while running. “In Central Park I heard a guy say, ‘Look at her go!’ and it was my favorite part of the race for me. It was so nice to see everyone out there so happy it just made me smile. I shared a common goal with 52,000 other people that day, and we supported each other.”
While that part of the race seemed like a dream or a movie she did face her challenges as well. “Fifth avenue was hard, I would say miles 21-23, at that point the race was very mental. Physically, I was hurting. My feet and calves were hurting, but mentally I was strong throughout the whole race.” Katie stayed positive and didn’t let the physical pain get to her mentally, and she had support from her family as well. “I saw my family on First Avenue around mile 17 that pumped me up. I stopped to see them, and that might have hurt my muscles, but it was worth seeing them. I started tearing up because they all had t-shirts and made some posters. They were having so much fun.”
Katie's Family
All of the pain was definitely worth the feeling of finishing her goal. “It was the most amazing feeling, especially because the energy in the air is so incredible with everyone so happy.” The event was well organized and all the volunteers were great at creating such a successful run for everyone. “And the medal is so pretty!” Just a small token to remember the experience of the day.
As for running the race again, Katie would love to! “I am thinking I want to enter the lottery for 2019. I loved raising money for Team for Kids but I feel like next year I will be super busy with my senior year. I still would love to run with them again, we will have to see what happens next year!”
Now that she has officially run the New York City Marathon Katie offers some advice for future runners. “Start out slow, it’s super important to conserve energy because there are 26 miles ahead. Don’t over train. It is important to train but you don’t want to injure yourself. Listen to your body and do what you think is best. Hydrate, rest and soak it all in!” Getting to know other runners is also helpful. “Talk to other runners, you can hear a lot of great tips and stories. It’s a nice way to meet people and there are a lot of groups on Facebook to connect with other people running the marathon. I went to a marathon mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and met someone running that gave me some insider tips!”
Salem State is proud to welcome Katie back and cheer her on in any other race she runs in!